Freedom for the Lost Soul
by Sophia Valentine
Summary: The new Howling Voice Guildmaster,Clive, along with Georg Prime, and Lena Suphina fight for their lives in Crystal Valley...Can they reach Bishop Sasarai in time before the guild elders catch up to them? Find out...EPILOGUE UP! STORY COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

**Part I**

"**A Meeting Between Equals in Name and Spirit"**

_That woman started smirking again and it annoyed him beyond belief. Didn't she realize how serious her crime had been? He was there to administer justice for the Howling Voice Guild, not to play games. "…Fine then. Let's go. A duel between Gunners." She said abruptly. _

"_Wrong! You're a criminal and I'm the executioner!" he shouted frantically._

_It happened so fast, before he could remove Storm from his belt, he hit the floor, a sharp pain near his chest. Groaning, he looked up and saw that woman standing over his crumbled body, her image blurred around the edges. "See you later…handsome." She whispered, almost affectionately, he remembered. But then again, it had happened so long ago and after that the world had vanished into a sea of darkness._

"Guildmaster Clive?"

His eyelids snapped open at the sound of this unfamiliar voice. No longer was he on the floor of a rural bar, awaiting death. The gunner frantically looked around and found himself in a palace. Crystal lined the entire entranceway, from the walls to elaborate chandeliers on the ceiling, merrily flashing and sparkling to each individual movement in the building. Clive realized that he was leaning against a solid crystal pillar and looked up to see a woman standing over him. She wore a blue beret and sported the traditional blue and white outfit commonly associated with the bodyguards of the Harmonian bishops. "What am I doing here?" he muttered, still in a daze.

"Well last time, I checked, Bishop Sasarai summoned you to a meeting in his private chambers." She replied, appearing slightly annoyed at his question. "It doesn't do you much good to be sleeping on the job, especially someone of your specialty."

Clive snorted, trying to ignore her snide comment, even though he admitted that she had a point. He needed to keep his instincts alert, always be ready for an attack, especially as head of the Howling Voice Gunner Guild. Lately, every minute detail and just life in general distracted him from fulfilling his responsibilities. Clive looked up and met the Temple Guard's eyes, nearly identical in color to his own, light blue. "I'll keep that in mind." the gunner replied through clenched teeth. "Now, where is the bishop's office?"

Before receiving a response, Clive quickly stood up or at least tried to. Between Storm the official guild gun, other assorted guns, ammunition, and his leather armor, Clive almost toppled back into the crystal pillar. Only by extending his hand and balancing himself on it was he not able to fall. The Temple Guard stood over him-a faint smile twitching on the corners of her lips breaking her solemn appearance. "Here, let me help you out." she said, extending a white gloved hand to him.

Surprised, Clive slowly placed his callused gloved hand into her smooth one, pulling himself to his feet. Heat flushed across his cheeks and Clive became extremely grateful that his cloak obscured most of his face. "Follow me, Guildmaster." the Temple Guard said, gesturing towards a mahogany door, conventionally positioned between two nearly crystal pillars. Clive walked behind her, his narrowed eyes shifting from every person in his path, almost anticipating trouble. On the way to the door, the edges of his black cloak flew into the face of a secretary carrying a stack of assorted papers. Several sheets flew across the foyer and the cleric scrambled around the area frantically, while shooting looks of fury at the Guildmaster. Clive strongly resisted the urge to flash a gun or two at the man, but silently remembered that relations between the Guild and the Harmonian religious order were already strained enough without him starting an unnecessary petty fight.

_Best not to cause any trouble_ Clive thought gloomily, as he followed the woman into the side room.

Blue and white tapestries decorated the crystal walls. Cedar bookshelves lined the room, filled with volumes of Harmonian history, trade, and politics. Clive's eyes lingered on the numerous works on the holy powers of the Circle Rune and dissertations of praise directed towards High Priest Hikusaak. As his nose flared in disgust, Clive reflected that all these rituals only masked corrupt power disguised in the guise of faith. Why bother with all that mystical crap and just be up front about advancing your personal agenda? Suddenly Clive longed to go back to the Howling Voice Guild. At least there, no doubt existed there about the evil nature of man. Here, only hypocrites.

Well save one.

"Guildmaster Clive!" a pleasant voice said, echoing through the makeshift office. "So good of you to come on such short notice!"

Behind a large wooden desk sat his Reverence, the Bishop Sasarai. Even though Clive had personally met with him several times over the past year- he had to admit that the Bishop's appearance deceived only the most wary. In a leather chair, a young man sat, who appeared to have barely left his childhood days. His mousy brown hair framed a boyish friendly looking face, complete with open green eyes staring out with seemly innocence. However, at a closer look, one could see a brown rune embedded in his right hand-the True Earth Rune, barely visible underneath a white satin sleeve. The bishop bore so much magical power, and yet at the same time appeared so nonchalant. If Sasarai had dressed in civilian clothes and mingled within the crowds of Crystal Valley, no one would have been the wiser. Clive wouldn't go as far as to like the man, but he could at least discuss important political matters with him far more tolerantly than with the other bishops. At least, Sasarai lacked the holy arrogance and blatant false piety, which prevailed amongst the other clergy. Clive had to give him some credit for that.

The bishop stood upon the entry of Clive and the Temple Guard member and walked in front of Clive. Then Sasarai extended his right hand and Clive knelt on one knee and hastily kissed the bishop's magic ring, feeling the warmth of the rune channeling through it. As Clive stood back up, Sasarai motioned towards the Temple guard standing silently by the doorway. "Lena, please make sure that no one disturbs us." He said mildly.

Lena nodded politely, her blue beret threatening to fall off her straight blond hair. "As you wish, your Reverence." She replied, leaving the room and gently shutting the door behind her.

For a moment, silence infiltrated the office, as the young bishop moved back behind his desk. Then, Sasarai adjusted his chair to face Clive and smiled cordially. "So, Guildmaster, I trust you had a safe journey to Crystal Valley, no?" he asked pleasantly.

Clive shrugged, a motion barely visible from underneath his thick cloak. "It was okay." he answered awkwardly.

Another uncomfortable silence ensued and faint noises of other clergy filtered into the room. Clive looked over Sasarai's shoulder through the small oval shaped window out to the azure sky. Already he tired of the formalities and being forced to be polite. "Would you sit down please?" the bishop said, cutting through Clive's thoughts.

The Guildmaster quickly sat down in the nearest chair. However, he instantly regretted his choice-for Clive had picked one of those chairs while at first glance appeared comfortable, in reality it ended up wrecking your back. So for a few agonizing seconds, the Guildmaster shifted around in his seat, trying not to wince every time a gun/weapon dug into his skin. Sensing his guest's discomfort, Sasarai cleared his throat. "If you like, I can make some tea. I recently received some delicious herb tea from the Grasslands…"

"No thank you." Clive replied through clenched teeth. He had just thought that he had finally settled into a comfortable position, but then the side of the chair painfully dug into his hip.

"…or I could send for some biscuits." Sasarai continued, hospitably "You know a little honey goes a long way to make…"

"No!"

Clive suddenly stood up, pushing the blasted chair to the wooden floor, one of the few rooms in the palace not to be made out of crystal. "Enough of the formalities, bishop. Just tell me the latest orders. Who needs to be subdued, assassinated, or just plain put out of commission." he hissed impatiently.

The young bishop frowned slightly, leaning back in his cushioned chair. (A much more comfortable one than the one he had just offered, Clive ruefully noted.) "Well I had hoped to break the news gently to you…however, if you insist on cutting to the chase…" Sasarai trailed off, his pleasant expression almost instantly shifting to a neutral one.

Clive quickly remembered that he was standing in the office of one of the most powerful men in Harmonia. "Forgive me, bishop." he said, hastily "But I don't see any point of the formalities, when we both know why you called me here."

Sasarai observed the older man for a moment, his emerald eyes searching into Clive's pale blue ones. "And why do you think I summoned you to Crystal Valley, Guildmaster?" he asked quietly.

With his leather boot, Clive shoved the overturned chair to the wall and leaned forward onto the desk, using his gloved hands to support himself. Not breaking their eye contact, Clive answered with forced calmness. "You want me to give the order to take someone out. Noble, peasant, it doesn't matter. Just tell me who it is….please." he finished, adding the pleasantry as a quick afterthought.

The bishop cocked his head slightly to the right, almost casually and continued to gaze calmly at Clive. "A good assumption yes." Sasarai said, his voice becoming so low that Clive had to lean over almost to the bishop's face to understand him. "But I'm afraid that's not the case here."

"Then…What. Is. The. Case." the Guildmaster hissed, punctuating each word by pounding the desk as they came forth from his mouth.

"Well…" Sasarai said, almost in a whisper. "It seems that you are the one to be assassinated, this time Guildmaster Clive."

In a flash, the gunner pushed back from the desk, whipped out Storm and pointed it directly at the bishop. "So you want me dead eh. I should have known that all this was an act. Summoning me here in secret, without even notification from the elders…should've seen this coming. The whole thing was a set up, but I'm not falling for it any longer…."Clive said, almost calmly, his finger drifting towards the trigger.

Looking back on that afternoon, Clive had to admit that the bishop handled the immediate threat of death, remarkably well. Sasarai merely raised an eyebrow, while pushing the barrel of Storm aside as though it was a child's plaything. Sighing, he only appeared to be mildly annoyed at Clive's sudden outburst. "No, no." Sasarai smoothly replied, waving a hand in a futile attempt to dispel the tension in the room. "I have no desire to kill you, in fact I brought you here to try and save your life."

Cursing himself for acting so rashly, Clive stashed Storm back underneath his cloak. "What do you know?" he asked with a sense of quiet urgency.

At first, Sasarai didn't reply, but instead stood up and walked over to the window on the far wall. Cautiously, Clive followed and gazed out over the city of Crystal Valley with the bishop. In his mind, it was a strange scene; the bishop didn't even seem to mind a filthy gunner looking out over the world with him. Finally, after a moment, Sasarai began to speak again. "Information has passed my way that a large portion of the guild is conspiring to "take care" of the problem of your leadership. Apparently, your popularity or lack of it has forced the elders to reconsider your role within the guild."

The guildmaster felt the energy slowly drain from his body. Although the news didn't surprise him very much, it still unnerved him to think that his closest associates wanted to snuff him out. He couldn't find the words to express his conflicting emotions, so the bishop continued talking. "Killing you would eliminate a huge obstacle in their paths." Sasarai said, matter of factly. "After all, you follow orders to the letter, refuse to compromise your standards to that of the elders, swiftly administer justice, never let your guard down, never let your emotions interfere with accomplishing the job, in short being everything that personifies a good gunner." He finished wryly, absently tapping his tapered fingernails against his desk.

Clive slowly chewed on this statement, his body still numb. "You're making sense, but where's the proof of a possible hit on me?" he replied, trying to objectively weigh his options.

The bishop nodded solemnly, continuing to stare out into the bustling streets below. "What I have heard is rumors, fragments of conversations, secret agreements between bishops and gunners, and the like. A very reliable informant had leaked information to me. I can't say for sure the exact timing or day when the elders plan to carry this out, but I do know it will happen very soon."

Clive turned away from the window and started walking back towards the door. Sasarai watched him in mild surprise. "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving." The Guildmaster said, sarcastically. "What else does it look like I'm doing?"

Ignoring the sardonic remark, the bishop hurried in front of Clive, holding up his right hand. "No, no wait. I have some plans to help you hide from the elders. I was thinking that perhaps you could join the Harmonian Southern Frontier Defense Force, or some other organization that could utilize your skills. Then, after some time, you could live as a free man…I know it would be hard..." Sasarai trailed off.

"Why are you helping me?" Clive interrupted side stepping the younger man and placing his hand on the golden door handle.

Behind him Sasarai shrugged. "I just believe that your life is worth saving."

"Oh, so you can use me like everyone else does?" Clive replied, refusing to make eye contact.

"No….just because I feel you could use a second chance. You know little of anything except that horrid guild and this could be an excellent opportunity for you to escape . I really do think it would be in your best interests." The bishop said reassuringly.

Whirling around, Clive eyed the bishop suspiciously. "Since when did a Harmonian bishop give a damn about a gunner?"

"Since today. I respect your ability and want to help you. Don't question this second chance, just accept it." Sasarai calmly replied.

It was almost too good to be true, Clive thought, so why should he accept this help? "Can I think about it?" he finally relented

"Oh yes by all means! Think about it and come back to my office tomorrow." The bishop said, clasping his hands together.

Clive turned the doorknob. "Okay I'll be back, if something doesn't kill me first." He muttered.

With those parting words, he hurried into the main foyer, his cloak bellowing around him. Sasarai watched him stalk away, the blackness of his clothing contrasting sharply with the glittering display of crystal around him. He stood there silently, until Clive disappeared out of the main door, the bright sunshine engulfing him. The bishop stood there for a moment, almost waiting for the gunner to turn around and take him up on his offer. However, when he saw Clive vanish from sight into the city, Sasarai just sighed sadly and shut the elaborately carved door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part II**

"**No Easy Way Out"**

Music rang out from the largest inn in Crystal Valley, The Dragon's Claw. In this building, travelers from far away lands danced and talked merrily amongst one another. The jovial atmosphere spread into every room of this establishment and every person in there now lived for the moment, releasing all their sorrow and heartache in the starry sky, if only to vanish for a short period of time. So, many a toast was performed, many a song sung, and the people danced to happiness and joy.

However, that happiness did not managed to penetrate one soul, who sat at the main bar counter alone. Completely covered in the darkness of his cloak, Clive idly fingered a mug of water set before him. Occasionally, the bartender shot him a dirty look, irritated that this mysterious gunner was too cheap to buy something a little harder; however, he didn't dare to disturb Clive. Once again, the guildmaster barely noticed his surroundings as his thoughts sheltered him from any outside disturbance. For almost two hours, Clive had tried to sleep in his room, but failed-every creak or squeak caused him to jump like a small child and sweat in anticipation for the final shot, for the end to come.

So finally, the guildmaster sat at the bar for almost half an hour now, trying to distract himself. Clive became so self absorbed in his water that he never noticed a young light haired man eying him with interest in the back corner of the main bar area. Dressed in green with grey pants, this man appeared to be carrying an assortment of weapons on his person…

_This is how Eliza must have felt, for all those years. _Clive pondered. _Having me hunt her down, never having a moment's rest_. _Just knowing that I would come, but never knowing when I would arrive_.

He clutched his mug, feeling the cold glass on his ungloved fingers. That woman had taken away his home, ever since his participation in the unification wars down south. Over time, Clive became more and more isolated from the other members of the guild. It ate away at him that everyone else (specifically the elders) in the guild treated assassination and death as a mere afternoon hobby. If someone crosses you, get rid of them, if someone looks at you funny, one quick shot takes care of the problem. True, death was inevitable, but didn't life have some sort of meaning to it?

"Hey there!"

Clive whirled around at the sudden sound and saw a vaguely familiar older man sitting next to him. Cautiously, he eyed him from head to toe. Black hair, fierce green eyes, rough tan complexion, brown cape and armor, held together with an emerald broach, enormous sword. Clive suddenly remembered that he had fought with this man, during the Duran Unification War about a year earlier. In fact, they had even traveled to Sajah Village together when…

"Georg Prime, isn't it?" Clive asked the older man warily.

Georg responded by slapping the younger man so hard on the back that Clive's face almost smashed into the wooden counter. "So good of you to remember my name, boy!" he beamed. "I recognized you from the minute I walked into the bar. How have you been?"

Clive, recoiling from the blow, forced himself to be polite. "Okay, I guess."

"That's great!" Georg replied enthusiastically "Here, let me buy you a drink!"

"Um, I'm really not much of a drinker…" Clive mumbled, trying to think of an excuse to leave. A dark creepy room started to sound better than hanging out with an overenthusiastic swordsman.

"I insist!" the older man proclaimed, simultaneously pulling Clive a bit closer and motioning toward the bartender. "Two of your finest beers please."

The bartender stopped midway through wiping out a filthy glass. "About time." he muttered as he quickly filled two clean mugs to the brim with dark brown liquid.

Clive stared at the mug of beer with a great deal of hesitation. Maybe he could just fake a sip or two and not actually have to drink this crap. So, Clive slowly lifted the glass to his tight lips. Georg watched him carefully." So, what do you think? I've been here before and there's no finer liquor anywhere on the continent in my opinion." he said.

"Fantastic." Clive replied dryly, resisting the urge to spit the nasty liquid into Georg's face.

The older swordsman leaned back his stool and gazed at the gunner intensely with his piercing emerald eyes. "So what have you been up to this past year?" Georg asked curiously. "I know that you're part of that gunner guild around here. Anything interesting going on with that?"

Clive frowned, becoming increasingly annoyed at Georg's presence next to him. Just because they had fought together during a war didn't mean they were buddies. He had no friends, no confidantes and anyway, what business did this man asking him such personal questions. As he slowly edged off his stool though, Georg asked another question, which made Clive tense instantly on his bar stool.

"So how're you recovering from that woman's death? The one you shot at Sajah?" the former knight asked, cocking his head curiously

Blood rapidly drained from Clive's already pale face. His head jerked up and he looked over at Georg with pure hatred. "Go to hell old man!" he shouted, oblivious that people in the bar area started to stare at them. "Leave me alone and mind your own business!"

The older man raised his black gloved hands defensively in front of him, mildly surprised at his companion's sudden temper. "Whoa there." Georg said quickly. "I didn't mean to offend you. Sorry I brought that up."

Ignoring Georg's apologetic words, Clive continued ranting, gesturing wildly into the air. By this time, even the musicians stopped playing to stare at the sight of an eerie black cloaked man screaming at a bewildered friendly looking knight. "What right do you have in getting involved in my personal matters? Go away now!" he shouted, just wanting Georg and the entire bar to vanish before him.

While yelling at the older man, the guildmaster had leaned closer and closer to Georg's face to emphasize each rage-filled word. In the middle of his rant though, Clive's mug suddenly exploded, spraying water and bits of glass into both of their faces. In a flash, the guildmaster looked down and in the center of the broken glass now scattered across the counter sat a small black bullet. "They're here!" he exclaimed in blind panic.

His black cloak flying around him, Clive threw himself over the bar, knocking more mugs along with him. Crash-landing in a sea of glass and liquor, Clive quickly sat up, cursing and trying to ignore the stinging cuts on his face and hands. Whipping out a small pistol, he quickly leaned against the far wall behind the bar, trying to figure out his next move. A few seconds later, Georg landed next to him, although less gracefully than his companion did, almost bumping his head against the counter.

"What's going on here?" he yelled at Clive, brandishing a large sword from his belt.

Before Clive could respond, more shots sounded off, apparently coming from the entrance to the Dragon's Claw. As people in the inn screamed, bottles of assorted liquor, perfectly lined on shelves above the bar, burst one by one, showering both Clive and Georg in yet more glass and booze. Hastily, both men shuffled forward underneath the counter, which provided some cover but not much. Glass still managed to fly under there and hit Clive in his now fully exposed face. His cuts hurting even more from the rain of alcohol, Clive suddenly noticed a small mirror hanging on the upper wall, across from him. Tilting his head slightly, Clive could see two black cloaked figures winding in and out amongst the fleeing customers in the smoky glass, heading directly towards the bar area. Carefully, he fired off a shot, which ricocheted off the metal edging of the mirror out into the main seating area. He heard a yell and immediately fired off another bullet.

Unfortunately for Clive, the mirror suddenly shattered, as his pursuers realized how he managed to pull off such a crazy and accurate shot. Sucking up his pride and lacking any other choice, Clive turned to his right in order to ask Georg what to do. However, his bar companion no longer sat beside him, seemingly vanished into thin air. Both furious and frightened from this sudden turn of events, the gunner could only continue to cower underneath the bar counter, listening to the high pitched sound of glass shattering and the subtle sound of footsteps coming closer and closer to his hiding place. Bracing himself for a side assault from both sides of the counter, Clive pulled out another pistol and pointed both of them towards either side of him, leaning forward from out of underneath the counter. His apathy had long since dissipated and now the guildmaster decided that he wasn't going down without a fight. Closer and closer the steps came, only a few yards away now…

His head turned back and forth, sweat dripping off his face into one of the many puddles of liquor and glass. Suddenly, he felt something grab his ankle and quickly Clive jerked it away. However, in the process, he lifted his head and crashed it on the top of the counter. Almost unconscious, the gunner felt his body drag on the rough wooden floor, scrapping against splinters and glass. For a moment, he became weightless, as his body fell through an opening. With a crash, Clive landed on a stone floor, gazing up at the counter, about ten feet above him. A bulky arm reached up and pulled the wine cellar trapdoor shut, completely absorbing them into total darkness. In the pitch-black cellar, Clive could dimly hear more shots and shuffled footsteps from the floor above. Out of breath, the gunner picked up his pistols and shoved them back into their holsters. Trying to figure out what had just happened; Clive frantically looked around in the darkness. "Georg?" he whispered urgently.

A gloved hand immediately covered his mouth, but with impeccable timing. For directly above him, Clive could hear the cracking of glass underneath two pairs of boots. "Damn it!" he could faintly hear through the floor. "I thought we had him."

Another voice answered his companion's, one a bit more raspy and harsh. "Well we both know that Clive can't teleport. What are we going to do now?"

More sounds of shuffling through glass and liquor reached Clive and Georg's ears. Despite his instincts not to move, Clive started to suck in air through Georg's leather gloves and his sweating palms absently stroked Storm's barrel beneath his cloak. Finally, one of the gunners spoke to break the silence. "Maybe that knight used a spell or something. They were talking right before we targeted him. Clive could have mentioned something to him."

"Yeah but how would he know about our plans? I think I've seen that knight somewhere before…." his companion answered in a familiar smooth voice to Clive.

"Don't worry about that right now. We need to hurry, if we want to catch him. Orders are orders." The other gunner said hoarsely.

The light tinkering of glass from above suddenly stopped and slowly footsteps began to fade in the distance. Very faintly, the inn door slammed shut. Cautiously, Georg removed his hand from Clive's mouth. "Now can I know what that was all about?" he asked impatiently to Clive.

As he placed his shaking hands at his side, the guildmaster grudgely admitted that Georg deserved an explanation especially considering that the older man had just saved his life. "Well, I'm head of the Howling Voice Guild as you already know. Some other members of the guild feel that I shouldn't be in charge because I don't agree with some of their politics. I had a meeting this morning with Bishop Sasarai and he warned me that the guild elders were after me. You probably picked up what happened next…" Clive finished lamely as he sat down on a nearby crate filled with wine bottles.

In the darkness, he felt Georg sit next to him on another crate. "Why's that? I'm calling a hunch that it also has to do that woman from Sajah…Eliza? That was her name right?" he asked, cautiously, not wanted to provoke Clive's anger again.

His hand continued to tremble as the sound of her name. "It has nothing to do with that woman." Clive snarled, once again becoming annoyed at the older man's nosiness. "The elders don't like me or my leadership period. I don't play their little games, so I'm guessing that's they put a hit out on me."

A crackling noise sent pricks down his back. Clive grabbed onto the crate, his fingernails digging into the soft wood. "Are they back?" he whispered harshly.

To his surprise, he heard Georg chuckling. "No, no. I just wanted a snack. Do you like cheesecake?"

The younger man stared through the blackness in total confusion. "Cheesecake?" he asked blankly

"Yeah it's a great dessert, a specialty from the Duran Republic. I like it with strawberries, blackberries, the chocolate chip kind is good too…" Georg said, continuing to unwrap the coveted dessert.

Clive shook his head, in disbelief. "This isn't the time to talk about dessert, old man. I need to find a way out of Crystal Valley." He spat.

"Well…" Georg said, in between bites "How about the Bishop? He seems to be a good friend of yours, helping you and all that. I've heard a lot of good things about him too. Sasarai doesn't seem to be as corrupt as the other clergy here, from stories I've been told."

_Like someone like me would have any friends._

"Okay, well the bishop had some suggestions about ways I could leave Harmonia but he really didn't give me too many details about what to do really." The gunner sighed in frustration.

Georg stood up, spraying crumbs in the air. Some flew into the gunner's face and Clive tried his very best not to lose his temper again. "I have a plan, let's just wait out the night here and after that, we'll sneak out to see the bishop and find out what he can do. I've heard that he possesses the True Earth Rune, so I'm sure he can figure out something." He said confidently, his shadowy figure blocking the few strains of light from the trapdoor cracks.

All the stored up tension slowly dissipated from the cramped cellar. Clive felt a little more secure in the knowledge that there was at least a small chance of getting out of this mess. "Okay, good point, let's get some sleep." He sighed, his body suddenly weary.

"Oh and one more thing." The knight said mysteriously.

"What's that?" Clive asked, not really in the mood for guessing games.

"Are you ever going to get rid of the blood off your hands?" Georg said, appearing sympathetic, but Clive couldn't really tell.

"Whose?" Clive asked, even though he knew the answer.

"You might want to wash it off, if you ever want to move on with your life." Georg continued. "I think Eliza forgave you from what I could hear on that day so there's no use feeling guilty about it." Georg said.

His eyes narrowing, Clive gritted his teeth. "Look" he snarled, "You know nothing about it, you just happened to be a witness. So stop trying to be my buddy and let it be. It's not like we spent a lot of quality time together, during the Unification War."

In fact, they had never even been on a serious mission together Clive recalled. Well, save one though…the most important one of all.

"Can't you see that I'm trying to help you?" Georg replied, starting to sound a bit irritated.

"Why, thank you." Clive spat out sarcastically. "You're doing a great job, considering you know nothing about me or what I've been through!"

The old man sighed and the gunner could feel the edges of his cape slide past his cloak. "Don't be too sure, boy." He sighed, with a hint of sadness in his voice. "I killed the woman I loved too."

Clive laughed harshly. "That's too good to be true, I mean you're famous. You're Georg Prime! Why would you kill the woman you love? It's not like you're an assassin or anything."

"Well, I was for one night." Georg answered simply. "I did what I had to do, even though it meant that I lost everything, my job, my home, my friends, my love. I just couldn't sit back and let her destroy innocent lives anymore. Children died because of her, children who should playing in the fields,. Not dying from an army of blindly loyal troops."

"And just who is 'her'?" the gunner asked, curiously.

"Her Majesty, Queen Marguerite of Falena." Georg replied, regretfully.

"Oh, a queen eh. That tops mine anyday." Clive said, desperately trying to steer the conversation to a close. "Look, it doesn't matter who we killed; it can't help us now. In the morning, we'll part our separate ways, never to see each other again. I don't see the point in rehashing the past, we're not friends, never will be."

He could hear Georg get up and shuffle to a corner of the cellar. A few moments later, Clive thought he heard his companion nod off. However, just as he settled down in another corner, a voice startled him. "It's not good to be alone." Georg said ominously

The gunner didn't see any point in answering because really he didn't need some cheesy philosophy from an overzealous knight.. Clive laid down on the hard floor and stared into the darkness. Specks of light floated over his eyes, almost hypnotizing him, with their random patterns of flight. Slowly his eyelids began to close and the gunner wished for his dreams to take him to a place, where everything he thought he had wasn't gone. Gone and broken.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part III**

"**Flight into the Darkness of the Soul"**

_Suddenly he found himself on the dirt road of a rural village. She lay in his arms, the life draining from her body…the regret mixed with finality; he had completed his mission, but what had he done in killing the one that he still loved despite everything._

"_You did good, boy… But remember… You still couldn't do it…You couldn't catch me…" she said, turning her azure eyes towards him for the last time.._

_He screamed her name in the air, not caring who heard. All he knew now was that the women that he loved was dead and it was all his fault. A few feet away, his eyes locked with one of his traveling companions…a man whose aging emerald eyes returned his gaze with his and in that brief moment of contact, he realized that he was not the only one who had suffered this type of loss._

_But why had he forgotten about that moment until now?_

"_Clive!"_

_Is that her voice calling me?_

"_Damnit, someone's here!"_

He felt a nudge in his side and suddenly woke up. Clive sensed the presence of Georg looming over him. "What do you want?" he asked sleepily.

Through his blurred eyes, he thought he saw the older man shadowy silhouette drift towards the trap door. "_Listen…_" Georg whispered urgently.

Within a few seconds, the gunner bolted up as he heard a lone pair of shoes shuffling through debris on the floor above him, heading closer and closer to their hiding place. Clive quickly stood up and both men moved towards the trap door ahead of him through the darkness. "Oh great…" the gunner moaned quietly. "What do we do now?"

He could hear Georg rustling through his cloak. "Well I have some cheesecake left…when that gunner comes down here, I'll smash it in his face, you grab his gun, and we'll squeeze some info out of him in no time."

Clive's lip curled in disgust. How was that tactic supposed to help them fight a man who could kill from over a hundred feet away? "That's so unprofessional." He sneered, letting out a nervous snicker.

"I'm going to put that on your gravestone, boy." Georg laughed softly. "Professionalism doesn't matter too much if you're dead."

A creak directly above their heads, immediately ended their conversation. The person was lifting the trap door and letting more light into the cellar. They backed up into the darkness. "Let's do it." Georg said with finality in his deep voice.

Now the trap door creaked completely open and a medium sized figure started to descend the rope ladder. However, he didn't reach the bottom, because Georg quickly placed him in a headlock and smashed half of a chocolate chip cheesecake in his face. Clive frantically leaped over to the struggling pair and felt him up for the gun. However, within a second into his search, the guildmaster came to two very important conclusions. First of all, the he was a she. Also, he had met this woman before because a familiar pair of blue eyes met his in the dim light.

And boy did they look pissed.

Almost immediately, the gunner fell to the ground, gasping for breath due to a sharp kick in his stomach. Through his tears, Clive saw Georg let go of her, once he realized who he was dealing with. "Um, I'm sorry ma'am…" he stuttered.

The woman adjusted her blue beret and tried to wipe the sticky dessert off her, but only succeeded in continuing to smear it even further across her face. "Sorry doesn't cut it buddy! I'm here in the middle of the night, looking for someone and the last thing I expect is to be attacked…attacked with food of all things!" Lena snarled. "Now where is Guildmaster Clive? He's down here right?"

Clive's knees wobbled as he stood up, leaning against the wall. "I'm here, Lena." He wheezed, still recovering from her sharp kick.

"Bishop Sasarai thinks you're in immediate danger, so he sent me to take you back to the palace." She said, grabbing a handkerchief from underneath her blue cloak and wiped the offending desert from her face. "He gave this place as your last known whereabouts and somehow he figured you would be hidden down here."

To both Lena's and Georg's surprise, Clive began laughing hysterically. "Immediate danger?" he howled. "Immediate danger? Well his _Reverence _needed to be here a few hours ago, when I almost got my head blown off."

Scowling, Lena pulled a thin rapier out of the sheath on her leather belt and aimed it at Clive's throat. "Show some proper respect, _Guildmaster, _to Bishop Sasarai. He's risking a lot to save your life. You could show a little respect instead of being so ungrateful."

In a return gesture, the guildmaster pulled out Storm. "Well he could do a better job of it, sending stooges down here to do his dirty work rather than risking his own life. I nearly died tonight!" he retorted, starting to circle the Temple Guard.

"Stooge? Why you…" Lena and Clive lunged towards each other, weapons at the ready. Rolling his eyes, Georg managed to pull them apart, before any injuries occurred.

"Stop acting like children you two. Now, Lena, what does the bishop know?" he stated calmly, directing the question towards the fuming woman.

Regretfully and glaring at the gunner, Lena placed her sword back in its sheath. "He heard rumors of the disturbance in this bar and of two black cloaked men. So, the bishop assigned me the pleasure of dragging _your_ scrawny butt back to the Crystal Palace to have a meeting with him at this ungodly hour. If we're quick, we can make it to the palace in about half an hour."

Her know it all attitude really started to annoy him. However, Clive couldn't see any way out of this mess than to listen to her. "Fine, let's go there then." He sighed.

The trio ascended the ladder, while it swayed and threatened to break from the strain of their combined weight. Georg whistled when he saw the abandoned bar. Almost all the tables had been overturned, and liquor and glass still coated the wooden floor. Due to the pale moonlight filtering through the broken windows, the whole place appeared creepy and surreal. It was hard to believe that only a few hours ago, dozens of people sat in this bar, joyfully drinking the night away. Lena, Georg, and Clive now moved in front of the counter, each eerily silhouetted in the dim light. "By the way, who are you?" Lena asked Georg curiously.

The older man shook the Temple Guard's hand with way too much enthusiasm, Clive thought. "Georg Prime, ma'am." He said proudly

"Oh Georg Prime!" the Temple Guard exclaimed, smiling for the first time since she descended into the cellar. "I've heard so many stories about you! I didn't know you were friends with _him." _She shot Clive a disgusted glance.

He returned it with equal dislike. "Well, we're not really friends…" Clive spoke up.

"Only a year ago, we fought together in the Jowston Unification Wars." Georg interrupted, straightening his body and cocking his head to the side. Even through the darkness, the gunner suspected that the old man's eyes had misted over, in respect to past battles. "Those times were rough, but we managed to survive them. Clive definitely proved himself a worthy comrade in arms during that time. Only a true man could come out of those horrific battles alive…"

His blue eyes rolling up to the ceiling, the worthy comrade in arms shook his head underneath his hood in disgust. "What, was it, like maybe one battle with a rabid bear? The only mission we really traveled together on was to Sajah Village." Clive said hesitantly, silently cursing himself for bringing it up. "This has nothing to do with you, so go relive the glory days somewhere else."

"Nonsense!" Georg replied, sounded insulted. "You're an old war buddy of mine and I'm not going to let anything hurt you! Besides, it's been a while since this old body's been in a good fight."

"Look, Georg." Clive spat. "I'm not your friend, I'm not your war buddy. So we fought together a while back, big deal. I don't need any help from nobody!"

He started to walk towards the door, but then stopped in front of Lena. "And you…" the gunner said, glaring at her. "Tell your precious bishop that I'm not going to be begging for the few crumbs that he's giving me."

The gunner stormed off towards the entrance of the tavern. "Are you crazy?" Lena exclaimed. "There's men out there who want to kill you! Why won't you let Bishop Sasarai help you?"

"Or us for that matter." Georg commented, tilting his head to the side curiously.

"I really don't need this." Clive fumed. "Just leave me alone and go away!"

Without looking at them, the gunner turned around and stormed out of the bar. He jogged down the street for about a block and then suddenly stopped. Looking around, Clive noticed that despite his circumstances, everything in the city appeared so calm, almost surreal. People abandoned these streets hours ago, but the pavement almost seemed to shine, the barrels, glistening with drops of water from the recent rain. His eyes turned upwards at the dark blue sky, scattered with dots of light. On the edges of the horizon, clouds began to gather, white swirls of fluff highlighted by the glowing moon. He could not help but stare at its beauty and for a brief moment, his soul felt a bit calmer.

When Clive could finally tear his gaze from the nighttime sky, he found himself staring at his reflection in a nearby store window. Slowly, the gunner approached the piece of glass, which acted at a makeshift mirror. His hand touching the frigid window, he couldn't help but gape at his appearance. Red cuts and marks adorned much of his face; however, the most shocking touch to this picture was his eyes. The pale blue eyes drained of any emotion, just haunting, merely waiting for their time to go, to die. Clive turned away quickly, trying not to think that was what he had become.

Where could he go now? Hiding in the mountains, the forest.. for how long? How long would it take before the final shot, the final blow? It could take years, weeks, or even seconds.

Clive thought about that for a while. It wasn't like he had any family or close friends that would mourn his passing. Even the Howling Voice Guild, where he was born and raised, didn't want him anymore. He might as well give up, just stand there in the middle of the night and just wait for them to come and shoot him point blank. End it, quickly too. However, as the gunner continued to stroll down the empty street, he couldn't help but think of what Georg had said to him a few hours earlier.

_I killed the woman I loved too._

How could he continue to live with himself after that? Clive couldn't claim to be an expert in dealing with loss; he had just pushed everything down, burying his feelings and memories long past. He looked up once again at the stars, twinkling merrily above him. They almost seemed to speak to him, like Georg, to move on, find a way to fight through this pain. But how? And how long would it take before he could be redeemed and freed from his sin?

Sighing, he absently wiped something wet from his cheek, wincing as it stung against his swelling cuts. Then, Clive realized that it was a tear.. from him. Angrily, he flung it away, cursing under his breath. That did it, Clive decided that he shouldn't even come here, should have ignore the bishop's summons and stayed in the Tower…away from Georg, Lena, Sasarai, or anyone or anything that promised him false hope.

Oblivious to his environment, the gunner failed to notice that his surroundings had gradually disintegrated into a drabber and run down section of Crystal Valley. Torn awnings partly blocked the dark azure sky from view and Clive plunged onward trying to find the route out of the city. He heard a loud grunt nearby and hastily ducked into a side alley, near a suspicious looking rune shop. As Clive peered around the corner, he thought he saw a young light haired man duck into a nearby alleyway... Frowning slightly, the gunner turned around to continue his trek of the major city. Unfortunately though, something blocked the alleyway. Two somethings, completely dressed in black cloaks and hoods, and sporting two pistols, their backs to him, chatting in this blackness of night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part IV**

"**The Choices we make…"**

Clive cursed softly, as he stared in amazement at his would be assassins. What luck. He could feel every raspy breath burn his throat, every drop of sweat slowly spreading across his back. Through the murmurs of their conversation, Clive decided that they wouldn't hear him escape. One foot lifted and landed quietly on the street, and the gunner slowly exhaled. Only a few more steps…The other foot fell against the pavement to join its mate and a piece of gravel crunched underneath its boot.

The noise caused Clive to freeze in his tracks, but the two men continued to converse, seemingly oblivious of the sound. His shoulders relaxed and he resumed backed up to the corner and freedom.

"Why Clive…" one of the men suddenly drawled in a smooth tone, which the Guildmaster recognized as a guild elder named Nigel. "So good of you to come…"

"Oh yes, It makes our job _so_ much easier you know." The other black cloaked assassin whispered raspy; Clive quickly recalled that his name was Hewitt.

Praying for some kind of miracle, Clive fumbled through his cloak frantically searching for one of his guns. "I, as your Guildmaster, demand that you stop this immediately." He demanded, desperately.

They turned around, with synchronized motion, each mirroring his partners movements. Then, the black cloaked men advanced towards their prey, each brandishing a pistol. "Pulling rank on us, _Guildmaster_?" Hewitt mocked. "Well, hate to break it to you, but no one wants you around anymore. You cause way too many problems."

"I didn't know there was any problems." Clive trailed off lamely, finally finding Storm and slowly lowered it to his side.

Nigel laughed harshly. "Oh come on. You used to be so obedient to the ideals of the Guild, until that woman messed with your mind."

"That _woman_" Clive gritted his teeth as the mention of Eliza. "has nothing to do with this. Every decision I have made has been in the best interest of the guild."

"Keep telling yourself that, Clive my boy." One of them mocked. Clive was having a difficult time in the darkness telling which gunner said what anymore. The slight differences in their voices meshed into one monotonous sound, beating into his head, foretelling his doom. "Now, just hand over Storm and we might let you live."

"Storm is the gun of the Guildmaster. It won't accept anyone else as its master." Clive retorted, placing some more space between them. "And I'm sure if I hand it over, you'll just let me dance off into the countryside huh?"

Now, he was only mere feet away from the corner. All he had to do was fire a few shots as a quick distraction, leap around the corner, and then run like hell into well the countryside. Clive braced himself, tightening his grip around the barrel of Storm. Only seconds mattered now…

However, before Clive could pull off his plan, a large object dropped off the side market roof and landed directly on top of Clive's would be killers. Narrowing his eyes in the darkness, the gunner saw the two black cloaked men sprawled across the alley, smothered by an authentic seasoned knight. He could have swore he saw Georg Prime grin, as the older man pulled himself to his feet. "You've got to be kidding me." Clive moaned in disbelief. "That's no way to handle that."

Georg walked up to him, still grinning. "What? Not professional enough for you?" he replied, amused.

"I…Georg look out!" Clive pointed quickly behind him.

One of the men had slowly raised himself off the pavement and started reaching for his pistol, resting a few inches away. However, the knight simply pulled the gunner off the ground with one gloved hand, banged his head against a nearby barrel and the black cloaked man slid back onto the gravel. Georg turned back towards Clive, smirking. "How about now? That might have been a bit more professional. Is there a guidebook or something that's supposed to tell you that sort of thing?" he asked, impishly.

"I HAD everything under control! I didn't need your help!" the gunner snarled, placing Storm back in its holder.

"Well, it appears to me that if he hadn't dropped in on your little party, you might have turned into a fine dummy for target practice." A female voice commented at the end of the alley.

"I don't need your opinion either, Lena. I thought I told you guys to go away!." Clive retorted, folding his arms over his chest.

Lena nonchalantly started to play with a piece of her hair. "Well, when you said, go away, we thought you meant go away with you. I mean Clive, seriously, you need to stop being so vague." She replied, cocking an eyebrow in amusement.

"Nice to see that someone find this situation amusing." The gunner replied, sardonically. "It looks like the party's over though, so I'm out of here."

He stormed out of the alley and headed towards the south, the outskirts of the city. However, Lena stood in his path, pointing her finger in the opposite direction. "Um, I think you've forgotten where the bishop lives." She smirked, pointing north towards the hill in the distance where Crystal Palace sat on.

Clive's nostrils started to flare in irritation. "Look I don't know what it's going to take for you guys to leave me alone." He shouted. "I'm a murderer, no good scum. Stop wasting your time trying to save my life."

"Look, Clive." Georg began, following his two companions out into the narrow street. "If this is about what happened in the past, then don't worry about it. It's all over now. Everybody's sinned and guess what? They've been forgiven, absolved of it, and they don't have to try and redeem themselves anymore."

"And by who?" Clive asked, thickly, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"Fate, their loved ones, some overlying force that ties this world, whatever you want to call it." The knight continued, frowning slightly. "Or you can forgive yourself. Like I told you before, I killed a woman too. I mourned her loss, became repulsed by what I did, but then I accepted it. Moved on. I know you can too."

"Yeah the old man's right." Lena chimed in. "You think that you're too good for help, always doing crazy things. Just like my nephew Nash. However, I do have to say from the little I've seen, you seem more suicidal than anything."

"Now look…" Clive started to reply, his lip curling in anger.

However, he never managed to complete his sentence, for Georg had pushed him and Lena to the ground. Glass from a nearby window rained down on the trio, making Clive's cuts smart even more. "Oh, not again…" Clive moaned. "RUN!"

Georg, Lena, and Clive darted deeper into the heart of Crystal Valley. Through their panting, they could hear the beating of two pairs of boots trailing them and the occasional shot of a gun. As they rounded a corner, Lena stopped for a moment, looking behind her at the approaching enemies. She grinned strangely and raised one white gloved hand in the air. "What are you doing?" Georg shouted, confused.

"Well…" she smirked, raising her arm higher in the air. "Do you think they can handle the heat?"

Before her companions could respond, Lena thrust her hand forward and a stream of crimson fire emerged, blazing around the corner. Almost immediately, the trio could hear screams from their pursuers. "Nice!" Georg exclaimed, as they continued to run further into the city.

Clive merely shook his head. "Unprofessional." He muttered, jumping over a fallen wheelbarrow. He thought though out of the corner of his eye; he saw a young man frantically run in the direction of Crystal Palace…

They continued to run until the trio reached a dead end of one of the streets. Stone walls surrounded them, extending almost up to the stars it seemed. Frantically, Georg scanned everywhere until he spotted a small alcove in the far corner, partially blocked off by several small barrels. "Quick in there!" he yelled, practically dragging Clive and Lena behind him.

Once there, the knight turned towards the Temple Guard. "Hurry! Make a fire wall!" Georg urged.

Instantly, flames licked across the stone walls, completely enveloping the entranceway to the dead end. Georg crouched behind one of the barrels. "Alright, we need a plan." He said, absently picking one of the cuts on his lined face.

"It better be good." Lena muttered. "Considering we're surrounded by some gun carrying freaks."

"Well the way I see it.." Georg started to say, as Clive drifted away, towards the far end of the alcove.

It would only take a minute, yes only a minute he thought. It made perfect sense. One shot and he would be free. His death wouldn't matter too much anymore. Everybody hated him, wasn't it so obvious from everything that had transpired in the past hour. Georg and Lena wouldn't have to die, in order to save his lousy life. Could he do it? Did he have the strength? Slowly, Clive raised the pistol to his temple, feeling the cold muzzle against his clammy skin. Only a minute…. His finger found the trigger and Clive started to pull…

However, before the bullet could exit the gun, Clive felt himself slam up against the rough edges of the rock wall. "What are you doing?" Georg asked quietly, effectively pinning the gunner, with only one hand, holding the pistol in the other.

Few things could really scare Clive; however, a seemingly deranged knight , who had managed to disarm him, now ranked high on the list. "Uh, well.." Clive tried to force out, unable to tear his gaze from Georg's eyes, which had managed to frost over into an icy emerald.

"Well, it's no time to be suicidal boy!" the knight whispered harshly. "Stop being a coward and come over here and help us out."

He unceremoniously dropped the gunner in the dirt, shoved the pistol back in his hand and strolled back over to Lena, who had watched the entire exchange warily. "Alright, I'm going in." Georg said, taking a deep breath.

Then the knight proceeded to march directly in the middle of the dead end, shielded from the hostile gunners by only the rapidly disintegrating wall of fire.

"And the old man called me suicidal." Clive muttered, rubbing his sore neck still in a daze about what had just happened.

"Only a fool would go up against two Howling Voice gunners." Lena said in awe.

"Only _this_ fool." Clive answered, glaring at Georg's hazy figure.

They could faintly hear Georg's voice, trying to engage the gunners in conversation. "You know, Clive." Lena said, with surprising gentleness. "Georg's just trying to help you out. You could be more grateful."

Clive coughed, attempting to ignore the increasing amount of smoke, filtering into the alcove. "And what about you?" he asked, curiously.

For a moment, Lena looked flustered. "The Bishop did order me to assist you…"

She paused and then continued. "But sometimes I like to help those hopeless cases, or at least the ones who think they're hopeless. It brings some interest to my line of work you know. Plus, you get some really hilarious looks on your face. The one you had when Georg jumped off the roof was priceless."

The gunner pursed his lips together, not exactly sure how to respond. "Uh, thanks." he said.

Lena smirked, adjusting her beret. "Don't mention it."

"And you have to help me." They heard Georg say a few feet away. "You see, that gunner is holding my wife hostage…"

In a flash, the smirking expression on Lena's face melted into a mask of rage. "His WHAT?" she seethed. "How can that salty old man even THINK…"

"…that he could ever live without you." Clive finished, finding her reaction extremely hilarious, despite the severity of the situation.

"AHHHHHH!" Lena screamed, attempting to place her hands around Clive's throat.

Georg continued the charade, a surprisingly good actor for a solider like himself. "Oh, listen to her scream! He's torturing her as we speak! You've got to help me!" he pleaded.

"Oh I'll show you what torture is, Georg Prime..." Lena continued to rage behind the barrel, finding the buckle to Clive's hood, and tightening it.

The gunner tried his hardest to fight back, but this woman had a surprising amount of strength for her height. "Hey, hey!" he whispered, hysterically. "We're supposed to be on the same side!"

With a gust of wind, the fire wall vanished, sending even more billows of smoke into the alcove. Coughing, Clive pushed Lena off him and through the haze, he saw Georg suddenly lunge forward and thrush one of the gunners aside with his sword. The force of the blow was so great that Georg knocked his opponent against the wall. However, it barely fazed the gunner and he quickly raised a rifle in response. The knight took his sword and started hitting the rifle with it, beginning a strange duel of gun vs. sword. Georg only had a slight upper hand though, because the gunner managed to keep himself guarded, using only the gun as a dual weapon/shield.

Through the smoke, Clive saw Lena quickly withdraw her rapier. Using her right hand, she heaved herself onto the barrel and jumped down to the pavement. Quickly, she disarmed the other gunner, who had started to aim at Georg. This action started another fight, where Lena's speed helped her parry the other gunner's rifle each time, he tried to aim at her. Clive stood up and could only watch the battle in shock for a few seconds. They both were fighting so hard…for him.

_So there she stood in front of him, the hunt almost complete. He had forgotten how silky her blond hair was, the glaring black scar running from eye to eye on her face… her passionate dark blue eyes, the annoying smirk on her face…. "Tsk…laws mean nothing. Do you really believe in anything besides the weight of your own guns?" she said, her rough, yet pleasant voice so alluring but deadly to his ears._

_How dare she…when she killed his friend, his closest brother, without a thought or care about the consequences….She took everything away from me…_

"_Maybe I can believe again…Once I kill you, that is…" he replied, forcing himself to restraint his hatred and rage._

That sudden flash of memory forced him to ask himself: was he really a coward? Is this what he really wanted for himself to just give up so easily? But how could he live with himself with his sin, the murder of Eliza? Did he really want to go through with his miserable life anymore? The choice was his and only he could write his fate.

The larger gunner managed to push Lena up against the wall and quickly whipped out a pistol. She struggled fiercely but he had her pinned in such a way that her rapier could only extend out a few inches into the air, leaving little room for her to maneuver the blade. "Well little lady." Nigel hissed through the darkness of the hood. "It's time we said good bye."

Before he could utter another word, he found himself kissing the pavement for the second time that night. Clive stood up from the heap of black cloak on the ground, with Storm in his hand. The blunt end of the gun served as an excellent weapon also, Clive mused to himself. Lena stared at him in disbelief. "Why the hell did you do that?" she asked, kicking the heap with her boot for good measure.

"I hate long good byes." Clive replied simply. "Come on, let's go help Georg."

In the meantime, Georg had managed to overpower the other gunner and grabbed his gun with a sudden motion. Raising his left fist to punch his opponent, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, dropping his sword in the process. Lena rapidly ran over to him, kneeling beside him on the ground. "Georg, what's wrong?" she asked, urgently, a concerned look on her face.

He moaned softly in response, clutching his left shoulder. Even through the smoke, Clive saw that blood covered Georg's hand. He looked down and saw a different color smoke than the type emitted by the fire. Clive whirled around to see that the supposedly fallen gunner had managed to grab his gun and shoot Georg. He aimed Storm at him, but then he heard a familiar raspy voice behind him say: "Don't even try it, _Guildmaster_."

A clicking sound from behind indicated to the said Guildmaster that his other would be assassin had managed to retrieve his gun also. Through the smoke, Clive could hear Lena start to breathe rapidly and Georg still continued to moan, his pain too much for him to even speak. The two gunners surrounded the trio, leaving little chance for them to run. "Leave them alone!" Clive yelled. "They have nothing to do with this! You were sent to assassinate me on Guild orders, not them."

"Oh yeah that's right." The standing gunner said, mockingly. "Since you're the _Guildmaster_, we're supposed to do what you say."

A slight pause ensued. Clive could still hear his companions gasping in pain. Slowly, he tried to move in front of Georg and Lena, acting as a human shield. "Look.." Clive swallowed hard. "I resign as Guildmaster of the Howling Voice Guild. I will give you Storm, I will even give up my life….if you will let my friends go."

Another pause. Clive could tell that his statement had even shocked the hardened gunners. "Well, Clive." Hewitt finally managed to respond. "You've had such a good track record in the past, helping your _friends_ haven't you? You just want to keep it up don't ya?" he mocked. "You really helped out Kelley, back in the day, your dear friend, your _brother_. He ended up dead thanks to your other friend Eliza. Then as I recall, for several years, you hunted down your dear dear Eliza, your friend, your _lover_. She died too, but oh wait…it really wasn't her fault that Kelley died."

"Yeah because you, the guild elders framed her!" Clive shouted, attempting to force his emotional pain down, trying to keep a level head in this life or death situation.

"But you still killed you didn't you?" the other gunner said smoothly. "Even though deep down, you knew that Eliza was innocent. Your friend needed protection and you killed her. How are you going to protect _these_ so called friends now, considering your past experience with friends?"

"I didn't kill her!" Clive screamed, tears running down his face, making all his cuts sting even more. "Even though I shot her, you, the elders, pulled the trigger long ago! With your deceit and all your lies, you killed her! I renounce the Guild! I give up my birth place, my home, all the lies, the pain! Even if it's for a few more seconds, I'm going to not be a coward and be a man! I know even Eliza forgave me for shooting her, so at least I can die in peace knowing that."

He realized that he was still clutching Storm in his gun hand. So, Clive threw it in front of the gunner closest to him. The dead end became silent once again for another moment, save Lena's ragged breaths and Georg's moans. The gunners started to laugh harshly, cutting through the former Guildmaster. "You were always fond of making speeches." One of them finally said through his laughter. "A nice parting touch."

Then suddenly one of the gunners fired his pistol, which was directly aimed at Clive's head.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part V**

" **A Supposed Resolution"**

Throughout his entire life, Clive had been surrounded by death. Even so, he didn't think it would prepare him for dying himself. However, he was surprised to find that death didn't even hurt. It must have been because his death was so suddenly, being shot in the head and all, virtually painless. The air was even still too, the smoke must have totally dissipated. But wait, Clive thought, the afterlife probably didn't have smoke, that sort of made sense. Well hey at least he didn't go to hell, the former Guildmaster mused, being optimistic for probably the first time in years. "Clive, what are you doing?" Lena said.

"Oh so you died too? I'm sorry I couldn't save you." Clive murmured, in response.

He could hear her sigh in frustration. "No, I didn't die you moron. Open your eyes.

Clive wasn't even aware that they had been shut in the first place. He forced himself to open his eyes. Now, a circular granite wall completely surrounded him, Georg, and Lena, separating them from the gunners. The trio stared at it for a second and then it suddenly exploded outward, knocking both of their enemies to the ground. "How the…what the…how did…." The former Guildmaster started to hyperventilate.

"It took you quite a while to find him Lena." A familiar voice rang out a few feet away.

Then, he saw another cloaked figure slowly walk down to the dead end, where the three of them were. Unlike their would be assassins though, his cloak was light in color. Raising his hands to lower his hood, Clive could see a familiar ring on his hand…

"Bishop Sasarai!" Lena exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

The clergyman shrugged, almost casually. "Well, it's almost dawn and I was expecting you back quickly. So, I decided to see where you went."

The Temple Guard stood and through the dim light, Clive could see that she was livid. "Bishop Sasarai!" she yelled, almost at the point of hysterics. "What are you doing out here in this area? It's dangerous, someone could jump you, you could get yourself killed or..or…."

Sasarai frowned slightly, raising a hand, which stopped her ranting. "Nothing happened now did it? By the way, what happened to that knight over there?" he said, motioning with his other hand to a crumpled heap of brown robes on the ground, behind Clive and Lena.

Clive whirled around to see Georg fallen on the pavement, motionless. He crouched down beside him, and frantically tried to feel for a pulse. However, his clammy hands kept sliding along his friend's tough skin. The young bishop knelt beside him, calmly removing Clive's hand with his right. "Allow me." he whispered quietly.

As Sasarai lifted his left hand, Clive could see that the bishop was the bearer of another rune, albeit one less powerful than the True Earth one: a Flowing Rune, otherwise known as the Healing Rune. Placing his hand on Georg's chest, a faint blue glow emitted from his hand and surrounded the knight's body with light. Quickly, the blue light faded and the knight bolted straight up. "Alright, scum!" he roared. "Try and get me now!"

Clive, Lena, and Sasarai watched his ranting and raving, in faint amusement. Once, the fact that his life was not in moral peril sunk in though his head, Georg paused, in mid rant. He stared at the three people watching him. "Please tell me what just happened." He asked in bewilderment.

Before any of them could respond, Hewitt started to groan. The bishop quickly gestured with his hand for everyone to come closer. "Grab a hold of my cloak." He urged.

For a moment, Clive hesitated. Then, he quickly picked Storm off the ground and then clutched the bishop's white cloak. He felt a warmth fill up inside of him and he closed his eyes in fright. "It's okay." Sasarai reassured him. "We're safe now."

His eyes snapped opened and Clive found himself back in the bishop's office. The first rays of sunlight filtered through the windows, subtly highlighting decorations on the wall, not easily noticed in broad daylight. For example, the gunner now noticed some hooks drilled into the crystal above Sasarai's desk. It was almost funny how they almost appeared to be positioned as to hold a rifle…

"So, who exactly are you?" the bishop asked Georg Prime politely interrupting Clive's train of thought.

To the former guildmaster, Georg still appeared to still be shaken from his near death experience. "Um, well I'm Georg Prime." He offered meekly.

Sasarai tapped his finger thoughtfully and then his expression brightened considerably. He clasped his hands together, merrily. "Oh yes, Georg Prime! I've heard so much about you! You participated in so many major historical events across the continent. From what I can tell, you exhibit bravery, courage, persistence. You were a knight in the Grasslands and further south in the Toran Republic I believe?"

Georg nodded cautiously, a list of familiar enthusiasm, returning to his eyes. "Yeah, that's right your Reverence. I also fought in the Duran Unification War last year as well. Those times were tough, you know, but I managed to fight through them…"

"Oh wait." Sasarai continued, cutting through Georg's rambling. "Weren't you also a head knight in the Queendom of Falena?"

Clive could literally see fear paralyze his friend's face. Georg could only manage to nod tightly in response. "You know, Georg." The young clergyman continued. "I've received information stating that the Queen's assassins have been looking for you. It seems that they find you responsible for the death of their Queen Marguerite, a few years back…

Georg's normally tan complexion continued to pale further. "You can't tip them off!" Clive yelled frantically.

"Yeah!" Lena chimed in, anxiety in her voice. "I mean he saved both of our lives last night, several times!

Tension filled the room, until Sasarai finally shrugged. "Well the royalty there almost always forgets to send me a birthday present…I suppose that those assassins will have to try harder to find you…"

Relief swept over the knight's face and his hands stopped shaking. "Thank you…thank you very much." He stuttered.

"Now to the issue at hand." Sasarai said, absently fiddling with his magic ring. "Oh incidentally, Georg, how did you manage to save Lena and Clive last night?"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Clive managed to let out a snicker. "Well, it turns out that Georg and Lena have a more serious relationship than you would think…."

"SHUT UP!" Lena screamed, moving towards the black cloaked man. "I am not his wife!"

"It's too bad, Aunt Lena." A new voice mocked from the doorway. "And I always just assumed that you would die an old spinster."

Clive, Lena, and Georg whirled around to find a familiar blond haired man standing at the bishop's doorway. He appeared to be in his early twenties and wore a leather belt with several weapons, including a knife and what appeared to be a dart gun. "Nash!" Lena yelled, turning towards him. "Where have you been for the past ten months?"

Her nephew shrugged nonchantly. "Around and about doing stuff for the bishop here. I think you should be thanking me for saving your life, rather than Georg Prime here." He said, casually.

"And why's that?" Clive asked curiously.

Nash cocked a pale eyebrow. "Well who do you think tipped off Sasarai when the gunners attacked Clive in the bar? Who do you think just happened to place a rope ladder to allow Georg to climb up onto the roof? Who do you think frantically ran to the bishop when you three found yourselves hopelessly cornered?"

"YOU?" Clive and Lena yelled together.

The spy laughed with glee, rubbing his gloved hands together. "Really Aunt Lena, you underestimate me at times!"

The Temple Guard appeared to be shaking with rage. She raised her fist and starting to lunge towards Nash. The Bishop bolted out of his seat instantly. "Lena! Leave family problems for another time!" he yelled, breaking his normally calm composure.

Lena froze instantly. "Sorry, Bishop." She seethed. "It's just that Nash disappeared for ten months after avenging his parent's death. And now, he suddenly decides to just show up and think he can claim the credit for saving our lives…"

"How about _deserves_ the credit?" Nash mocked, grinning at the pleasure of verbally torturing his aunt.

Georg shook his head in amusement. "You two are worse than Clive and Lena!" he laughed.

The spy's eyes seemed to light up with malice. "Oh, Clive and Lena now is it?" he laughed with glee. "Really Auntie, you've seemed to be rather "busy" while I was off doing espionage work for the bishop here."

Clive judged if facial expressions and murderous looks could kill, then Nash would have died a sudden painful death at the hands of Lena. Fortunately, for the spy's life, he appeared to realize that he needed to stop. "You guys need to move out now!" he urged. "One of those guild elders recognized Georg Prime and tipped off the Queen's Assassins who are only twenty miles away from Crystal Valley."

"WHAT?" Georg and Clive exclaimed together in pure panic.

Lena now appeared concerned. "Bishop, what are we going to do?" she asked.

The young bishop still appeared to lack concern. "Don't worry about it. Nash is going to meet you at a fortress on the border of the Grasslands later on today. From there, we will work on hiding you two as long as possible.

For once, Georg appeared to be speechless. Clive couldn't believe what Sasarai just said either. Fortunately, Nash broke the silence. "Well, if plans are settled, then I think I'll be on my way. You got to do everything possibly to stick it to the Howling Voice Guild elders you know." He said, appearing fairly amused.

Nash started to walk out of the doorway, but then paused for a moment. A mischievous smile spread across his handsome face. "I look forward to receiving a wedding invitation from you, Aunt Lena." he mocked.

A crystal ornament flew across the office, smashing into the doorway mere inches from Nash's face. He quickly ducked out into the hallway and Sasarai, Georg, Clive, and Lena could hear Nash laughing as he ran down the corridors of the Crystal Palace. The bishop turned towards the fuming Temple Guard. "So are you ready to take them out of the city?" he asked, his expression shifting into neutral.

Georg and Clive still stared in shock at Sasarai as though he was a species of animal they had never seen before. "Why…why are you doing this?" Georg managed to force out.

Sasarai laughed merrily, clasping his hands together. " Don't worry gentlemen. I think you'll find that this situation will solve both of your problems, just perfectly!"

"How can you be so sure?" the former guildmaster retorted in anger.

Before the bishop could answer him, Nash ran back into the room, his pale face, sweaty and clammy. His smirk had vanished, replaced with fear. "I looked out from the doorway of the palace and I saw the elders heading this way. They should be here in 20 minutes or less!" he shouted, breathing heavily.

Georg and Clive stared at the bishop, desperately trying to extract some information about what their next move should be. The young man merely smiled serenely. "Don't worry, everything will turn out just fine." He said, calmly.

Or will it? To be continued….


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"**The End of the Beginning."**

The soft clicking of boots hit the marble floor as two black cloaked figures marched relentlessly through the hallways of the Crystal Palace. Slamming open a door, they found their unfortunate prey. Simultaneously, they drew their rifles and pointed them at their target. The target in question fiddled with his teacup casually. "Welcome gentlemen!" he beamed "Would you like some tea?"

With a sudden motion, one of the gunners flipped over the desk, spilling hot liquid all over the floor. "Teatime's over, Sasarai. Now where's our guildmaster?"

Shaking his head indolently, the young bishop bent down and started picking up pieces of the shattered blue china. "Now, if you didn't like tea, I could always send for some coffee…" he mused.

"Oh, don't play dumb with us Bishop." Hewitt shouted. "You know where Clive is, he was meeting you yesterday. You have to know something about his disappearance!"

Lena burst into the office, the door banging against the wall dramatically. "Away from the bishop, NOW!" she screamed, brandishing her rapier.

Even from underneath his hood, everyone else in the room could see Nigel's eyes darken. "Oh, this is just too much little lady. You'll pay for what you did to me last night." He snarled.

Before anyone else could do anything, Nigel fired his pistol at Lena. A flash of white light filled the roomy office and the gunner fell to the ground, clutching his leg. Lena and Sasarai's eyes turned towards Storm, which leaned against a bookshelf. The guildmaster's gun was surrounded by an aura of white light. "Did that 'gun' just save my life?" Lena mused, in shock.

"Storm is the holy relic of the Howling Voice Guild." Hewitt said panic-stricken, as he tried to lift Nigel off the rug. Blood seeped from the gunshot wound in his leg, but otherwise the gunner appeared to be alright. "It chooses who is worthy to be the leader of the guild."

"Well, apparently you're not making the cut." Lena sneered, still appearing a little shaken from the attempt on her life.

"Why you little…" Nigel gasped, reaching for his pistol again.

However, he shut up for Sasarai stood up from where he had been picking up the china shards. The bishop still appeared to be his usual nonchalant boyish self, with the exception of a subtle flash of menace in his green eyes. "I really think you should report your findings to your council of elders, gentlemen. Your _holy_ relic seems to want to stay here for the time being." he stated quietly.

"Oh you know we can't go back to the guild without our holy gun, Storm, your Reverence." Hewitt said, slowly sliding his hand underneath his dark cloak. "Orders are orders."

"Well…." The bishop said, frowning slightly. "…orders may have to be unfilled this time around."

Before the gunner could even pull one of his pistols out, Sasarai thrust his right hand forward and a brown light seeped out from it. The light traveled rapidly across the room until it reached the two would be assassins lying on the wooden floor. In a flash, the floor boards moved up and flung both gunners outside the office door. Lena stared in awe, as two of the most feared people in Harmonia sprang up and ran as fast (or manage to run in the case of Nigel) as they could towards the palace exit. Then, regaining her composure, she folded her arms across her uniformed chest. "Nice one, Your Reverence." She said, with a triumph tone to her voice.

"Hmmm…" the bishop muttered in response.

The Temple Guard turned around to find Sasarai holding Storm in his hands. "So, Lena, where do you think I should hang this? Over my desk?" he inquired, almost mischievously.

She chuckled affectionally. "I really don't understand you sometimes, Bishop."

"Understand what?" Sasarai replied with seeming innocence. "Those gunners won't be coming back for Storm anytime soon, I can assure you. Do you think I was a fool for taking it?"

"No, no." Lena shook her head, her blue beret, threatening to fall off her blond locks. "Why did you help Clive? Was it the will of High Priest Hikussak..or your own will?"

"Oh, speaking of Clive." The bishop said, deliberately avoiding answering the question. "Are he and Georg safely out of the city?"

The Temple Guard nodded. "Yeah, they are…" she said reflectively.

_Lena, Georg, and Clive stood outside the city gates, the sun threatening to break on the horizon. In her hand, the Temple Guard held two reins of a pair of frisky brown stallions. "Take these. His Reverence thinks that you can make it to the mountains in two nights time, if you hurry. Nash will meet you at the small fortress there and will tell you where to go from there." She said, handing the reins to Georg._

_The knight grinned, "Thanks for everything Lena. Just want to let you know that last night you were a worthy adversary and ally!" he beamed._

"_No problem." The Temple Guard responded, shaking his hand enthusiastically. "Your skills do live up to the stories I've heard."_

_She then turned towards Clive, who for most of the trip to the city gates, had been rather silent. "I just want to let you know…" he said suddenly. "…that my neck still hurts from where you tried to strangle me last night."_

"_Too bad." Lena said coolly. "I did it in the heat of battle you know." _

"_And you know that I really never liked you." The former gunner continued, looking at her strangely. _

"_Likewise." The Temple Guard retorted, wondering where Clive was going with all this._

_Abruptly, Clive leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. His face had brightened considerably, since their first meeting less than a day ago. "Thanks Lena." He chuckled, a grin spreading across his pale face. "Next time, I come to Crystal Valley, I'll make sure to bring you some cheesecake." _

_With that parting remark, he and Georg mounted their horses and rode away from the city. Lena stared after them for a moment in shock, watching the two riders dash across the plains. _

_Nash suddenly appeared beside her. "Am I interrupted a moment?" he asked slyly._

_Lena proceeded to slug him as hard as she could with her shaking fist. On the ground, Nash shook his handsome head, gingerly touching his bruised cheek. "Last time I use teleportation around you, Auntie." He said wryly._

"_Oh just SHUT up!" the Temple Guard shouted shrilly. "I'm so sick of you and your lying and half truths. Take me back to the Crystal Palace NOW."_

_The spy reached over and suddenly grabbed the edge of his aunt's cloak. Before Lena could react, both of them found themselves back in the familiar sparkling corridors of the palace. Nash stood up and backed away from Lena. "Well, I'm going to teleport to the fortress now. You take care of Bishop Sasarai until I come back." He said, eyeing her cautiously_

"_And when will that be?" the Temple Guard asked suspiciously. "Another ten months?"_

_The spy shrugged casually. "Perhaps, but in the meantime I'm going to go take care of Georg and Clive. That's my responsibility now."_

"_Since when did you know about responsibility?" Lena said snidely._

_Nash cocked an eyebrow and smiled. "You know it's surprising that we still manage to love each other, despite the fact, that I'm an irresponsible nephew and you're an ill-tempered shrew."_

_At that moment, anger consumed Lena so that it took all her willpower not to slaughter her nephew on the spot. Nash laughed at her reaction. "Later, Auntie. And trust me I'll take real good care of Clive. You want to keep in one piece, you know for the honeymoon and all." _

_Grinning mischievously, Nash vanished in a glow of blue light, nearly missing Lena's fist as she attempted to slug him again. When the blue light had faded, the Temple Guard suddenly saw two very familiar looking black cloaked men heading directly for Bishop Sasarai's office… _

"Lena, your cheeks are rather red." Sasarai noted shrewdly. "Do I need to open a window and let some air in here?"

She snapped back to reality. "Um, no." Lena gasped, embarrassed. "But anyway, why did you help Clive? Please tell me, sir."

The bishop tilted his head to the side, observing his bodyguard quietly. "You know, Lena. Perhaps you should take some time off...go to the lake or mountains or spend some time with Nash perhaps.I would think last night's excursions tired you greatly."

"But your Reverence…" the Temple Guard sputtered. "You need protection. What about the Falena hitmen?"

Sasarai waved his hand in the air, dismissing her protests. "Go, go, Lena." He said, smoothing down a lock of brown hair in the process. "I insist. Besides, I thinkthe Howling Voiceelders willinform the Queen's Assasins that they won't receive a very friendly reception here."

For a moment, Lena looked like she wanted to argue with him. However, she remembered from past experience that arguing with one of the most powerful men in Harmonia would be rather futile. "Fine…" she sighed.

She turned and walked through the office door, leaving the bishop, carefully placing Storm above his desk. "I will never understand that man." Lena muttered to herself, smiling though as she walked towards the Temple Guard headquarters, to pack for her vacation.

A small brook trickled through the dense forest. Only a few more acres remained until the border of the Grasslands. Georg and Clive sat by the brook, staring at the speckled rocks below. "So, how are ya feeling?" the knight asked the former Guildmaster.

Clive sighed and continued to stare at his rather ragged reflection for a bit. The morning light especially emphasized the purple bruises and jagged cuts that he had received the night before. "Strange." He finally replied. "I really don't know what to think anymore. I just want to know what's going to happen now. Everything that I grew up with is gone..."

The knight stood up, brushing some dirt off his cape. "Well no one knows everything about life, do they? You just have to live it, sometimes trusting your feelings, but even if they seem to mislead you, you have to remember that life is unpredictable. Just breathe the air, feel the wind against your cheeks and just live life! So, what do you think?" he said, tilting his head towards his friend.

Clive stood up and slowly walked to his stallion. "I think I'll be alright. I mean I'm a bit nervous about going through with all this. But I think I'll be okay. If some gunner finally catches up with me…then it'll be okay. Eliza forgave me.. so now I think I can forgive myself." he replied slowly, but with confidence in each word

Georg nodded, grinning with enthusiasm. "That's the spirit! Come on, I'll take you to a sweet store about ten miles west of here. That's where I stock up on cheesecake." He said, mounting his own horse.

Clive followed his friend's lead. "That sounds like a plan, but there's just one problem…" he said, rather slyly.

The knight cocked his head to the side and gazed at his friend strangely. "What's that?" he asked curiously.

"Wouldn't that be a bit…" Clive placed emphasis on the last word. "…_unprofessional_?"

Georg stared in shock at him, then suddenly burst out into laughter. "Good one, boy." He beamed, slapping the gunner on the back. "I think we're going to have a great time working together!. Let's go meet Nash and see where things go from there."

And with those words, Georg and Clive continued to ride through the lush forest. Not much is known about their lives after that point, except that from legends and myths filtered down from generation to generation. However, these two men changed their lives and many others around them through their heroic deeds and their acts of charity. For no longer were they haunted by the past; but both men knew that they were forgiven, especially Clive by Eliza. No longer would Clive's sins haunt him. He knew now that his soul was finally free to live life according to how Fate had in store for him and not by the dark shadows of the past.

The End


End file.
